Morito is bringing the Calçotada onion festival to Exmouth Market every Sunday in February 2015, with a set menu that celebrates seasonal Catalonian produce.

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Calçotada celebrates the harvest of the calçot, a type of Catalonian green onion similar to leeks or spring onions. They’re usually dunked in a rich romesco sauce and served with grilled meats.

Try charcoal-grilled calçots with romesco sauce; grilled lamb chops with cumin and paprika; and many more delicious Catalonian dishes from Morito’s set menu (£25 per head), or have a go at making the below olive recipe inspired by the festival.

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Charred salad onions with romesco sauce

romano pepper 1, halved and seeded

tomato 1, halved

olive oil

garlic 2 cloves, crushed

red chilli 1, finely chopped

bread 1 slice, roughly chopped

hazelnuts 50g

blanched almonds 25g

parsley chopped to make 2 tbsp

olive oil 150ml

red wine vinegar 2 tbsp

salad onions 12, roots trimmed

Step 1

Grill the pepper halves skin-side up until they start to blister and grill the tomato halves cut-side up until they start to brown on top. Peel the pepper halves and slip the skin off the tomatoes and roughly chop them. Heat a little oil in a pan and fry the garlic and chilli briefly until it softens, add the bread and fry until browned then add the pepper and tomato. Scrape the lot into a food processor with the nuts and parsley and pulse until roughly chopped, add the oil, vinegar and a good pinch of salt and pulse together. Tip into a bowl.

Step 2

Heat the grill or a griddle pan and brush the onions with oil. Griddle or grill them until they blacken on the outside (or put them over the grey coals of a barbecue). Once blackened, wrap them in newspaper and leave them for 15 minutes to soften.

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Step 3

Serve them with the sauce. To eat them, slip the cooked onion out of the outer blackened skin and dip them in the romesco sauce.